Refining Your Topic

Your final research project in English 106 will demonstrate some of what you’ve learned about the kinds of problems and issues that people argue about in academic disciplines, the types of sources and periodicals used for research, and the methods of research writing and documentation. A successful final research portfolio will demonstrate the effective use of sources to reach and support a research focus--that is, a claim that invites evidence, support, and debate.

Educational researcher Ernest Boyer argues that the “special task of the undergraduate college is to relate the values of liberal learning to vocation.” This is one way of saying that what you learn in college should relate to what you do. Today, I ask you to come up with some research questions that place your topic in a particular academic discipline that might investigate those questions.

Using the topic or issue that you plan to explore in your research paper, write at least 3 questions that might be asked by students and teachers in a particular field of study. Perhaps this field of study is your major. If you haven’t yet chosen a major, you may want to consider the field of study you plan to enter.

Here are some examples of how different perspectives and academic disciplines might shape the research questions you ask:

A sense of the issue’s history
Examples:
What is the history of the Internet? For whom and for what purposes was it originally developed? (might be asked by teachers and students in Computer Science)

Did role (if any) did the Roman Catholic Church play in resisting the Holocaust? (Theology/Religious Studies)

A sense of its social and economic implications
Examples:
How has the growth in online investing affected the U.S. stock market? (CS, Business and Economics)

How does extensive use of e-mail and online chat rooms affect people’s personal relationships? (Sociology)

Should Illinois public schools be funded through property taxes or by some other means? (Education, Policy Studies)

A sense of the moral issues attached to it
Examples:
Should the Internet be regulated? (CS)
How can public school teach moral values while respecting the cultural diversity of students? (Education)

See the Tidewater Community College's handout on research paper ideas to prompt your thinking about possible topics submitted by students from different academic disciplines. Note that not all of these topics are promising! However, they may prompt your thinking if you’re “stuck” for ideas.